One in five card payments are now made via contactless, new figures show.

Contactless cards were used for 21 per cent of card payments in August 2016, totalling £2.3 billion, figures from The UK Cards Association reveal. In August 2015, they were used for just 7.9 per cent of card purchases.

The average contactless card transaction was £8.97 in August, compared to £7.12 in August 2015.

The number of contactless transactions increased from 89 million in August 2015 to 260.7 million in August 2016, while the number of contactless debit cards in circulation increased from 74.5 million to 97 million in the same period.

Richard Koch, Head of Policy at The UK Cards Association, said:

“Contactless cards have exploded in popularity over the past year and are now being used for one in every five card payments.

“While more shoppers than ever are using contactless cards for small purchases, we are excited by the possibilities they will bring over the coming years for public transport operators and charities.”